Keeping turtle with your cichlids?

Black Tuna said:

My girlfriend wants one of those mini 2 inch turtles and I have a spare 5.5 gallon for the turtle. Fish shop said that the turtle will outgrow the task in about 1 to 2 years. Was thinking of throwing him in with my cichlids. Any problems or issues you can see with this such as diseases or harm to the fish? All of my cichlids will be from 5 to 10 inches long so don't think the turtle will be able to kill them. Thanks in advance for any advice.

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pretty sure turtles need a basking dry land. not to mention turtles can bite and claw big fish. just say no

yup, most turtles will require UV and dry heated basking spots. they make lots of poop too so prepare for lots of extra maintenance.
fish mat attack turtles eyes, and turtles may attack fish.

Turtles are a bad bad idea for the novice, or the non-turtle specific keeper. Both for the keeper and the turtle.

Black Tuna said:

Id love to hear more specifics if you could share. Thanks

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1. turtles require a tremendous amount of filtration as they produce copious amounts of waste.
2. turtles, simply because of their physical make-up, can cause havoc in a fish tank by simply knocking everyhting and anything over with thier long nails and powerful "flippers" and shell.
3. turtles require specialized lighting and diet and are prone to shell and skin issues if not kept in a specialist set-up.
4. turtles without the proper water treatment and water change schedule produce some seriously funky water that offends the nose.

In summary, outside of a dedicated turtle keepers set up, most turtles are headed for soft or deformed shells, skin and eye problems, and terribly dirty water, leading to their eventual need to be re-homed.

Don't get me wrong, it would be a dream set up for me to keep a snapping turtle. And i've done it in the past, however i would never ever recommend getting a turtle to the non-dedicated turtle keeper. It's just to much work and too specialized an animal.

Those mini 2 inch turtles turn into 12 inch turtles quicker than you think. Way quicker..

Black Tuna said:

Id love to hear more specifics if you could share. Thanks

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Further, a 5.5 wouldn't house 1 turtle for 6 months.

If you're girlfriend wants turtles, get a purpose bought 100 gallon tank with a basking area and specialized lighting and a sump. Otherwise your heading for re-homing the turtles at best, or 2 sick turtles at worst.

Trust me, i've made the turtle mistake before. Its a great animal but a specialized pet, not a tank add-on, or a "cool to have" type of endeavor..

Hopefully i've provided you with some useful info.